Coronavirus: Britain’s Boris Johnson seeks ‘cautious and irreversible’ exit from lockdown
- PM says he will unveil road map for lifting national pandemic restrictions next week
- Reopening schools in March will be Johnson’s priority, as his government celebrates rolling out one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is drawing up plans to lift national pandemic restrictions on socialising, shopping and travelling to work, including possible target dates for when the curbs will be eased.
“What we want to see is progress that is cautious and irreversible,” Johnson said in a pooled interview with broadcasters on Monday. The premier said he will detail his “road map” for ending lockdown in a statement on February 22.
Johnson confirmed his priority will be to try to reopen schools from March 8, but no decision has yet been taken on whether all age groups will return to classrooms at the same time.
He said he will unveil the earliest potential dates for removing restrictions from other sectors, “if we possibly can”.
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson: over 15 million vaccines have been administered
Six weeks into a third national lockdown, Johnson’s government is celebrating its success at rolling out one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world and looking ahead to how to revive an economy battered by its deepest recession in more than 300 years.
The government has provided vaccines to the most vulnerable 15 million people and carers in the country and has started offering shots to younger age groups, a crucial milestone on the road to emerging from the pandemic.